2025 SEC Football Coaching Power Rankings: Where Do Nick Saban's Heirs Stand?

In the ever-evolving landscape of college football, the SEC remains a behemoth of talent management and strategic coaching. Navigating the choppy waters of team morale, fan expectations, and the relentless pursuit of greatness is no small feat. As we brace ourselves for the 2025 season, one thing stands crystal clear: the SEC has depth, not just in players, but in a cadre of head coaches ranging from seasoned veterans to those on the cusp of greatness.

What strikes me, as someone well-versed in the intricate dance of SEO and the nuances of sports writing, is the dedication to excellence that seems to be hardwired into this conference. Every new season presents its own set of challenges – managing players, understanding the pulse of the market, and keeping innovative with strategies that resonate with both the audience and the search engines.

The question that’s been swirling in my head, amidst the excitement and the anticipation, is this: How do we rank such a diverse group of coaches, each with their unique approach and a track record as varied as SEC teams’ fight songs? Is it their recent triumphs, the innovation they exhibit, or perhaps their entire history at their respective programs?

If this sounds like a dilemma from a digital marketer’s playbook, then you’re getting the idea. Just as strategies evolve to keep up with Google’s ever-changing algorithms, so must our methods of evaluation for our SEC coaches. Do we weigh their performance in high stakes games or perhaps their ability to adapt and evolve amidst the chaos of unpredictability?

Now, as we inch closer to the heart of the matter, here’s a curated ranking of what we foresee as the SEC’s top 2025 football head coaches. And mind you, this isn’t just about the wins, but their ability to keep their teams in the limelight, their ingenuity, and their discernible impact on the game.

But before you dive in, let me share a little known fact; my success in the SEO arena has mirrored the fortunes of these coaches, where survival is not guaranteed – it’s earned through adaptation, innovation, and a relentless drive for excellence. So, here we go, down the digital battlefield, visualizing the potential future power rankings. LEARN MOREIf you needed an example of this, well, just take a look at some of the names alone, a group that includes numerous veterans of the sport, but also some rising head coaches as well.Year four of Beamer at South Carolina was likely his best yet, finishing with a 9-4 record (5-3 in SEC) to fall in the Citrus Bowl. Beamer enters year five at South Carolina boasting a combined 29-22 record, but has yet to record a 10-win season, as well as make the College Football Playoff.RELATED: Ranking the projected 2025 SEC starting quarterbacks from worst-to-bestFreeze is coming off his second-straight losing season in as many years at Auburn, ending 2024 with a 5-7 record (2-6 in SEC) to miss a bowl game. Entering year three, Freeze has a combined 11-14 record at Auburn, and has not led a team to a 10-win season since doing so at Liberty back in 2020.

Elko’s first season at Texas A&M ended with a 8-5 record (5-3 in SEC) to lose in the Las Vegas Bowl. Now entering his second year in College Station, Elko is also in his fourth season as a head coach, with the best previous record a 9-4 mark at Duke back in 2022.

One of the longest tenured SEC head coaches, Stoops is coming off a down season at Kentucky where the Wildcats finished with a 4-8 record (1-7 in SEC) to miss their first bowl game since 2015. Stoops enters year No. 13 with the Wildcats owning a combined 77-73 record that includes two 10-win seasons.

15. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt Commodores

Year four for Sarkisian at Texas was likely his best yet, finishing with a 13-3 record (7-1 in SEC) to make the College Football Playoff, reaching the semifinal. Now entering year five in Austin, Sarkisian has an overall record of 38-17 at Texas with two 10-win seasons, and has the Longhorns positioned to contend once again in 2025.

Even despite the conference having lost the greatest of all-time last offseason, the SEC is still home to some of the top head coaches in college football.

13. Hugh Freeze, Auburn Tigers

Smart’s 2024 season at Georgia ended with an 11-3 record (6-2 in SEC) with a loss in the Sugar Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff, the Bulldogs’ first three-loss campaign since 2018. Entering year No. 10 at Georgia this fall, Smart owns a combined 105-19 record with two national championships as head coach of the Bulldogs, and could easily contend for No. 3 in 2025.

12. Mark Stoops, Kentucky Wildcats

Lea’s 2024 season at Vanderbilt was undoubtedly his best yet in Nashville, ending with a 7-6 record (3-5 in SEC) to win the Birmingham Bowl. The 2024 SEC Coach of the Year, Lea owns a combined 16-33 overall record across four seasons at Vanderbilt.

Drinkwitz eclipsed the 10-win mark for the second time at Missouri, ending 2024 with a 10-3 record (5-3 in SEC) to win the Music City Bowl. The Missouri head coach enters year six in Columbia this fall sporting a combined 38-24 record, and has led the Tigers to two 10-win seasons over that span.

10. Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners

Also, if you had to rank that group entering the 2025 college football season, how would you do it and how would you decide? Would it be based on recent success, or their overall history at that respective program?

9. Billy Napier, Florida Gators

Pittman and the Razorbacks are coming off a season that saw Arkansas finish with a 7-6 record (3-5 in SEC) to win the Liberty Bowl. His third bowl victory in as many games in Fayetteville, Pittman enters year six at Arkansas with a combined record of 30-31, and has yet to eclipse the 10-win mark, coming closest with a 9-4 season back in 2021.

8. Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks

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7. Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri Tigers

DeBoer’s first season at Alabama featured a 9-4 record (5-3 in SEC) with a loss in the ReliaQuest Bowl, missing the College Football Playoff. DeBoer is however only two seasons removed from leading Washington to the national title game, and likely has Alabama positioned to contend for a CFP spot in 2025.

6. Josh Heupel, Tennessee Volunteers

Lebby’s first season in Starkville was among the worst in Mississippi State history, ending with a 2-10 record (0-8 in SEC) to miss a bowl game. The first-time head coach enters year two at Mississippi State in 2025.

Venables’ first season as a head coach in the conference featured a 6-7 record (2-6 in SEC) that resulted in a loss during the Armed Forces Bowl. Entering his fourth season at Oklahoma, Venables owns a combined 22-17 record, which includes a 10-win season back in 2023.

Tennessee’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance came during the 2024 season under Heupel in which the Volunteers finished with a 10-3 record (6-2 in SEC), losing in the first round. Heupel enters year five with Tennessee holding a combined 37-15 record that features two 10-win seasons.

3. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels

Well, here is a ranking of who we think are the SEC’s top 2025 football head coaches from worst-to-best, starting with No. 16.

2. Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns

Kiffin and Ole Miss are coming off a 2024 season in which the Rebels missed the College Football Playoff with a 10-3 record (5-3 in SEC), winning the Texas Bowl. Entering his sixth season at Ole Miss, Kiffin owns a combined 44-18 overall record in Oxford with three 10-win seasons, but has yet to make the CFP.

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs

Napier’s third season in Gainesville was likely his best yet, ending the year with an 8-5 record (4-4 in SEC) to win the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. Entering year four, Napier holds a combined 19-19 record during his time at Florida, and has yet to eclipse the 10-win mark.

Year three for Kelly in Baton Rouge was likely his most difficult so far, ending with a 9-4 record (5-3 in SEC) to win the Texas Bowl. Kelly now enters 2025 with a combined 29-11 record across three seasons at LSU, two of which the Tigers have eclipsed the 10-win mark, however with no College Football Playoff appearances.